Cheez Whiz is a processed cheese sauce or spread sold by Kraft Foods. It was developed by a team led by food scientist Edwin Traisman (1915–2007). While many sources give its national debut as 1953, it was advertised by Kraft and retailers in several states in late 1952. Orange in color, it usually comes in a glass jar and is used as a topping for cheesesteaks, corn chips, hot dogs and other foods. It is marketed in Canada, Mexico, the Philippines, the United States and Venezuela.
Cheez Whiz is one of a number of "processed cheese foods", a category including some types of individually wrapped cheese slices. These products contain regular cheese that has been reprocessed along with additional ingredients such as emulsifiers and stabilizing agents, such as xanthan gum or carrageenan, and derive their tanginess and flavor from additional ingredients such as citric acid and flavoring compounds. Annatto is used for coloring.